autobiography
saw this project at Monica's and then at Lilyginny's. Decided to do it too. A survey. Or rather almost a biography. 3558 words to read. If you're not afraid or bored to face my past you're welcome )
1. What year were you born?
1976
2. Where did your parents live when you were born?
one of Moscow's small satellite towns
3. Do you have any older siblings or a twin?
No
4. What was your first word?
this is the thing I'm proud of) Mum says that as a first properly pronounced word, not counting various ma's and pa's, it was 'dog'. I'm proud of it because in Russian it is 'sobaka' consisting of 3 syllables which is pretty cool for a first word )
5. What did your parents name you?
Irina. On one hand it's quite a common name, on the other not too much common. And quite a noble at that. And by its sounding it matches my patronymic, which is important since all adults in Russia in formal situations are addressed to by a combination of their first names and patronymics. My father's name was Viktor so may I introduce myself - I'm Irina Viktorovna)
6. By the time you were two, did you have any toddler buddies?
no, or at least I don't remember
7. What was one of your favorite toys when you were a toddler?
by one of the photos I can say that it was a dark blue plastic crow which at its 'feet' had a foundation in a form of a pump that squaked when pressed. Also I had a stuffed monkey with nice long wobbly legs and arms and funny round pink ears stuck out of the sideds of its head.
8. Are you able to remember anything specific from when you were a toddler?
Actually I have a couple of memories which refer to the age when I was yet a baby, before I could walk. One of them is that I was lying on a table being changed into clean clothes. What's wierd, yet natural, is that my perception of myself was just like it is today - inside my mind I feel and think absolutely the same way.
9. Did you go to preschool? If so, where?
yes. Very few children in those times here didn't go to preschool. It was in the same suburbian town. The preschool's location was actually very nice - on the verge of a pine forest, thus the air was great there.
10. Were you rebellious or well-behaved as a young child?
I was well-behaved in terms of naughtiness but I've always been somewhat asocial, renouncing such things as following formal social customs or being civil. It's been until the school graduation and in fact I still am like this, only now it's conscious and controlled ;-) But back then I would very often put adults in quite uncomfortable situations by saying things inadequate to a child )))
11. Did you see more of your parents or your babysitter when you were this age?
There were no such thing as babysitting then, and it still isn't a common thing now. We all had (and still have) grannies and grandpas living in one flat/house with their children and grandchildren. Thus it was natural that in case a child had to stay home for some reason (which would most often be a case of illness when a child could not attend preschool) he/she would just be looked after by a grandparent.
12. What was a favorite treat of yours?
Hm, let me recall... Ice-cream definitely - I was rarely allowed it because I easily caught colds and would get quinsy if I ate the whole portion all by myself. And chewing gum. Since there were only 4 or 5 sorts of chewing gum at those time children's all-favourite one was strawberry flavour, which was the rarest. Orange was OK, mint was boring and coffee (yes, there was such a flavour!) was somewhat weird *lol*
13. Were you able to tolerate horror movies as a four-year-old?
Ha) there were no horror movies back then)))
14. Did you have a new sibling by the time you were four?
no
KINDERGARTEN TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
15. Were your parents still together at this point in your life?
yes
16. Did you lose any family members by the time you were five?
no
17. Were you able to read in Kindergarten?
by the end of it. I was even subscribed to a library and I did actually read books.
18. Who was your first grade teacher?
An old lady, quite bearable. Yep, she was OK.
19. What kind of car did your parents have?
one of Soviet cars, its brand's name will say nothing to you) It was white and it was good. And having a car was almost a luxury back then)
20. Did you have any new pets?
no
21. Were you allowed to play in the neighborhood?
Yes. In those times it was much safer than now and we were allowed to hang around on our own. We had a playground behind our apartment building. In summertime we would even take our dolls and their clothes and other stuff in shoe boxes outdoor to play. A lake next to our place provided us with superb slides in winter and perfect slopes for sledging and skiing. Remember it very well how every winter all the local children spent there all the afternoons and evenings till their parent came back from work. Fresh air, rosy cheeks, mittens and outdoor trousers all covered with icicles, ah, that childhood heaven!
22. Who was your best friend in 2nd grade?
In 1st and 2nd grade my best friend was a girl who lived upstairs. We were in the same class at school.
23. What kind of music were you listening to at this point?
Well, till I was 9 I used to listen to lots of children’s songs on the radio. I loved to watch choirs of children on TV, I particularly liked their nice uniforms and shiny shoes. Moreover, till about that age I had a special way of falling asleep - lying in my bed in the dark room I would sing aloud all the songs I knew or the ones we were learning at that time in preschool or at lessons of music at school, 5-10 in a row. I also had a habit of singing aloud in the underground - I thought that nobody could hear me since it was so noisy there. I didn’t show off, I just liked singing songs, honestly! Mum says that everybody around could hear me of course but nobody objected *LOL* I listened to other, pop or propaganda adult songs played on the radio. My another big passion was vinyl discs with children’s tales. I knew them all by heart and would play them over and over speaking along with the actors *lol* And then in mid 80’s came disco, ooooh!
24. Were you a talented math student?
I think yes. I was always good at maths, algebra, geometry and this kind of subjects. In middle school when we had to choose to be put either in humanitarian or in mathematical class I chose the latter.
25. Which relative was your favorite?
Mum.
26. Who was your third grade teacher?
Another old lady, nobody remarkable. We moved to Moscow to live with my other granny, my mum’s mother and I changed school.
27. Any new(er) siblings?
My younger brother was born.
28. What was your favorite holiday and why?
Birthday, because it was MY day, and the New Year’s Day, because it was the most spectacular of all the holidays. We had school holidays and each year I went to see a number of thematic matinees and performances where a gift consisting of various sweet treats was included into the ticket’s price, it was much fun.
29. Which parent was the most strict?
Dad
30. What was your favorite subject in the fourth grade?
Can’t remember. It could be Nature study.
31. Were you beginning to form your own opinions about the world around you?
Rather not yet, but since about the 2nd grade Mum subscribed me to a few magazines and a newspaper for school age children. I liked them a lot. The newspaper had a discussion column where children would write letters asking for a piece of advice or help. I think it was then when my present basic points of view started to form.
32. Did you enjoy reading for leisure?
Yes, I liked reading a lot. I devoured book after book. Among my favourites were Russian national tales, Oriental and Scandinavian tales, Astrid Lindgren, Setton-Thompson’s stories about animals, Mowgli, Winnie-the-Pooh, Myths of Ancient Greece, Jules Verne’s adventure stories.
33. What did you do for your tenth birthday?
Can’t remember. I think it was like my other birthdays at the dacha with my dacha friends, children I saw and played with only in summers.
34. Who was your fifth grade teacher?
Since starting from the 4th grade we have a new teacher for each subject I had lots of them.
35. Did you get bullied at all?
Very often. Being fat meant to be a laughing stock. Besides that in my class we had a really bad situation with bullying. Boys used to beat girls out of curiosity or for fun. Not all the boys were involved but this really was a terrible habit in middle school until we grew up and boys developed other kind of interest towards girls.
36. What was one of your favorite TV shows?
Any cartoons, any figure skating competitions. There also was a hit show called ‘Visiting a fairy-tale’. It had a very nice host lady who would make a short introduction, read children’s letters, display their drawings and, what was the most interesting part, their handmade dolls and action figures of the tales’ characters - princesses in glittering dresses with beautiful hair and noble princes with swords. And then came the film, some good fairy tale.
37. Did you play any sports?
Some ball games at Physical Training lessons. At about 12 I went in for lawn tennis which I liked immensely.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
38. Were your middle school years slightly awkward?
Erm, no. Should they have been?
39. Did you have to move during these years? If so, where to?
no.
40. Did you begin dressing differently? How so?
Rather not. Those years were pretty hard for my country, we didn’t have much choice in consumer goods and we wore what we were able to find in sale or sew or knit at home. But of course the influence of the era of 80s had an impact on us. I still recall those fashions with warmth in my heart *lol*
41. Who was your favorite middle school teacher?
If ‘middle school’ are grades from 4th to 10th, age from 10 to 16, then my favourite teacher was our new teacher of History in last 3 grades. He was a young man, about 22-23 years old, a university graduate. For us he was of course a full adult, ‘from the other side of the barricade’ *lol* But it was he who was my first love ))) I remember myself sitting with my chin on my hands following his every move with my eyes, turning my head after him. Now I’m pretty sure he knew it, ah… ))) After all it was then when History became understandable, sensible and interesting )
42. Did you win any recreational or academic awards?
I can’t remember of any particular awards, not that there existed any at all, but I always was a smart pupil. Not quite a Hermione type but definitely with good brains and aptitudes.
43. Did your parents try to spend adequate time with you?
I can’t say that we spend much time together as a child and parents, but I never felt any lack of their attention
44. Did you feel like you had friends to turn to if need be?
no. I never had any serious troubles. And it I was hurt I managed it myself. Since I’ve been bullied during all my lifetime at various degrees, I learnt to do without anybody’s assistance. Actually I haven’t had real friends until I was about 25. I had lots of nice people in my life who accepted me, liked me and needed me in some ways, but still I can’t call them real friends.
45. Did you ever get suspended or expelled?
No, but I earned quite a lot (for a girl) of reprimands from teachers. My poor parents *sighs* )
46. Did you experiment with drugs and/or alcohol?
I think I can call it ‘no’. Due to some reasons that I’m not mentioning here I was extremely negative about alcohol as a child. I first drank some when I was almost 18. After that I consumed it sensibly and still do. What’s sad, a couple of years ago I suddenly stopped enjoying being drunk. It isn’t a pleasure for me anymore so now I don’t drink till I can feel that I’ve got drunk. As for drugs I once tried LSD but it didn’t work, which was also sad. And it was after I was 20.
47. Any new(er) siblings?
no.
48. What kind of music were you listening to?
Disco, pop, some soft rock. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Modern Talking, Roxette, Savage, Rick Astley, Bon Jovi, Genesis.
49. What kind of people did you surround yourself with?
Back then I didn’t surround myself with people deliberately. So around there were children from my class, from my musical school, from the summer camp, from dacha. Enough good people, many jackasses and lots of common grey mass.
HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND
50. Which high school did/do you attend?
Age 18-22, State Academy of Management. I studied Travel and Hospitality Industry Management.
51. If you have not yet graduated, which grade are you presently in?
I graduated and it was oh so long ago) In 1999.
52. Have you noticed a change in you ideas/thoughts since beginning high school?
Yes. Despite that I don’t remember many things I was taught in the Academy I’m very grateful to it for it gave me that general understanding of how the world and people are made, primitively speaking. This is the thing that helps a lot in adult life, in work, in all the processes that takes integral or systematic thinking. I particularly appreciate studying such sciences as Philosophy, Theory of Management, all the branches of Management and Systems actually, Economics, Marketing. As for my inner, personal world it has changed in so many ways that I sometimes fear of a person I might be if I hadn’t had what I had in my life. I’m now speaking of the Club for Practical Psychology that I used to attend for about 5 years. It was a club for young people offering various kinds of psychological trainings - communication skills, interpersonal communication, understanding of your inner You, trainings discussing social, family matters, career trainings, artistic trainings (theatre, poetry, voice), physical trainings (yoga, thoughtful moving), sexology and ‘intersexual’ trainings, various Oriental spiritual practices, outdoor activities, camps and more. This is where I am who and what I am.
53. Are/Were your parents supportive of you during those/these rough years?
Yes. But I didn’t even realize that until a few years ago. The last years of school and first years in the Academy were the hardest years in my country’s modern history. I didn’t realize what it took my Mum to keep the house and peace in it. I didn’t realize how hard Dad worked to earn money to pay for the tutors who I attended preparing for my entrance exams. Now I realize how carefree I was back then. I failed the exams the first time I tried to enter and thus skipped a year and parents had to pay for the tutors, who were really expensive, again the next year. Dad never reproached me for that.
54. Who was your best friend upon beginning high school?
I had a best friend, my mum’s co-worker’s daughter. She was OK.
55. Has that changed since?
Yes. After school we pretty quickly gave up communicating and now we are two completely different persons. I don’t regret of that. During our school years we spent much time together but as I’ve already mentioned I didn’t have really close friends then. Time has proven that we weren’t meant for each other.
56. Did you have any boyfriends and/or girlfriends?
No. I had sexual experience but no relationship.
57. Which subject did/do you naturally excel in most?
At school I was good at almost all the subjects except Chemistry. A totally alien science for me. A thing that was easy for me when being a nightmare for most of the other people in my class were essays/compositions for Literature. I simply wrote down my thoughts. For some reason few of my classmates did that. Our Literature teacher was the school’s headmaster, he was a literary man, and quite an honourable and respected at that. He liked my works) Only a few years after I graduated from the Academy my mum accidentally told me that in one of their conversations the headmaster told her that he thought I should have continued writing! I was flattered) I also was good at Economical Geography. The teacher even spared me of doing home assignments for the last term having said ‘You will get your A’s all the same, so let me call out other students’. Well, I agreed and got my final A not having dome anything)
58. Which subject were/are you the most interested in?
Philosophy in the Academy
59. Did you have to change schools at all?
Once. I went to the 3rd grade, age 9, in a new school after we moved to Moscow. It was the school that taught me English. It was so-called specialized school for we had 6-8 lessons of English a week when at normal schools they had 1-3.
60. Are you part of a clique?
Had to look this word up in the dictionary ) No, I’ve never been one. I rather was an outcast. And I can’t understand and can’s stand people who are. This is so stupid and weak, argh.
61. Would you consider yourself to fall under a specific label (goth, prep, etc.)?
Looking back I’d call myself a weird one. A fat girl but not ugly, smart and talented but totally lacking of appropriate behaviour )
62. Did/Do you experiment with drugs and/or alcohol?
Oops! Have already told all about it somewhere above )
63. Did/Do you have an unfair curfew?
No) Quite the contrary. When I started attending that psychology club (see above) the classes would start at about 6 or 7 pm, they lasted for 4 hours, but with the tea break and all the hot discussions they were often delayed for another half an hour or so and actually ended at 11 pm or even later. Plus 45 minutes’ ride home, part of it on the underground, part afoot. One day we were particularly excited after the training and since it was a nice spring night we - me, my female friend and her boyfriend - decided to walk all the way home. The night was magical, the night city alluring. It took us 2,5 hours to walk to my place. It was 1:30 am. Must I add that I didn’t call my parents for there were no mobile phones back then and I just didn’t think of calling at all? Mum and dad weren’t sleeping when I came. But they didn’t say anything bad to me. I was in a very good mood, told them that I had a safe company. They must have thought it good for me to have some social interaction so it was OK) Oh, and now the final trait - that night I was wearing new boots, in the middle of our way I realized that I can’t walk anymore. But the friend’s boyfriend was fooling around, pulled me by the hand. Except for that pain in my feet we were young and joyful and happy and so we decided to continue walking out of sheer stubbornness. When I came home and took off my socks there were bloody wounds on my toes. And in two days I was to go on my first hike with the people from the club *lol*
64. If you have already graduated, would you go back and do it all over?
No. But on another hand…. Hm… All the same way, just like it was back then? No. But some new studying I think I could take.
65. What is your favorite memory of your high school career?
All the moments when I demonstrated my uniqueness, cerebral thinking, clever ideas and was praised for those. I also like the memories of being in love with one of the group-mates. All in all I remember those years as times when I was still young but with some brains already. Still those were quite innocent and wonderful times, aw)))
66. What are your plans thereafter?
I’ve never had any plans. I live my life the way it is. I’ve had a number of essential experiences of vital importance since then which made me more mature, wiser, stronger. I know myself better that ever. I’ve built my little microworld to live in. I feel good)
P.S. for me it's been a good language practice and another cause to see the ways in which our lifestyles were pretty different )
1. What year were you born?
1976
2. Where did your parents live when you were born?
one of Moscow's small satellite towns
3. Do you have any older siblings or a twin?
No
4. What was your first word?
this is the thing I'm proud of) Mum says that as a first properly pronounced word, not counting various ma's and pa's, it was 'dog'. I'm proud of it because in Russian it is 'sobaka' consisting of 3 syllables which is pretty cool for a first word )
5. What did your parents name you?
Irina. On one hand it's quite a common name, on the other not too much common. And quite a noble at that. And by its sounding it matches my patronymic, which is important since all adults in Russia in formal situations are addressed to by a combination of their first names and patronymics. My father's name was Viktor so may I introduce myself - I'm Irina Viktorovna)
6. By the time you were two, did you have any toddler buddies?
no, or at least I don't remember
7. What was one of your favorite toys when you were a toddler?
by one of the photos I can say that it was a dark blue plastic crow which at its 'feet' had a foundation in a form of a pump that squaked when pressed. Also I had a stuffed monkey with nice long wobbly legs and arms and funny round pink ears stuck out of the sideds of its head.
8. Are you able to remember anything specific from when you were a toddler?
Actually I have a couple of memories which refer to the age when I was yet a baby, before I could walk. One of them is that I was lying on a table being changed into clean clothes. What's wierd, yet natural, is that my perception of myself was just like it is today - inside my mind I feel and think absolutely the same way.
9. Did you go to preschool? If so, where?
yes. Very few children in those times here didn't go to preschool. It was in the same suburbian town. The preschool's location was actually very nice - on the verge of a pine forest, thus the air was great there.
10. Were you rebellious or well-behaved as a young child?
I was well-behaved in terms of naughtiness but I've always been somewhat asocial, renouncing such things as following formal social customs or being civil. It's been until the school graduation and in fact I still am like this, only now it's conscious and controlled ;-) But back then I would very often put adults in quite uncomfortable situations by saying things inadequate to a child )))
11. Did you see more of your parents or your babysitter when you were this age?
There were no such thing as babysitting then, and it still isn't a common thing now. We all had (and still have) grannies and grandpas living in one flat/house with their children and grandchildren. Thus it was natural that in case a child had to stay home for some reason (which would most often be a case of illness when a child could not attend preschool) he/she would just be looked after by a grandparent.
12. What was a favorite treat of yours?
Hm, let me recall... Ice-cream definitely - I was rarely allowed it because I easily caught colds and would get quinsy if I ate the whole portion all by myself. And chewing gum. Since there were only 4 or 5 sorts of chewing gum at those time children's all-favourite one was strawberry flavour, which was the rarest. Orange was OK, mint was boring and coffee (yes, there was such a flavour!) was somewhat weird *lol*
13. Were you able to tolerate horror movies as a four-year-old?
Ha) there were no horror movies back then)))
14. Did you have a new sibling by the time you were four?
no
KINDERGARTEN TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
15. Were your parents still together at this point in your life?
yes
16. Did you lose any family members by the time you were five?
no
17. Were you able to read in Kindergarten?
by the end of it. I was even subscribed to a library and I did actually read books.
18. Who was your first grade teacher?
An old lady, quite bearable. Yep, she was OK.
19. What kind of car did your parents have?
one of Soviet cars, its brand's name will say nothing to you) It was white and it was good. And having a car was almost a luxury back then)
20. Did you have any new pets?
no
21. Were you allowed to play in the neighborhood?
Yes. In those times it was much safer than now and we were allowed to hang around on our own. We had a playground behind our apartment building. In summertime we would even take our dolls and their clothes and other stuff in shoe boxes outdoor to play. A lake next to our place provided us with superb slides in winter and perfect slopes for sledging and skiing. Remember it very well how every winter all the local children spent there all the afternoons and evenings till their parent came back from work. Fresh air, rosy cheeks, mittens and outdoor trousers all covered with icicles, ah, that childhood heaven!
22. Who was your best friend in 2nd grade?
In 1st and 2nd grade my best friend was a girl who lived upstairs. We were in the same class at school.
23. What kind of music were you listening to at this point?
Well, till I was 9 I used to listen to lots of children’s songs on the radio. I loved to watch choirs of children on TV, I particularly liked their nice uniforms and shiny shoes. Moreover, till about that age I had a special way of falling asleep - lying in my bed in the dark room I would sing aloud all the songs I knew or the ones we were learning at that time in preschool or at lessons of music at school, 5-10 in a row. I also had a habit of singing aloud in the underground - I thought that nobody could hear me since it was so noisy there. I didn’t show off, I just liked singing songs, honestly! Mum says that everybody around could hear me of course but nobody objected *LOL* I listened to other, pop or propaganda adult songs played on the radio. My another big passion was vinyl discs with children’s tales. I knew them all by heart and would play them over and over speaking along with the actors *lol* And then in mid 80’s came disco, ooooh!
24. Were you a talented math student?
I think yes. I was always good at maths, algebra, geometry and this kind of subjects. In middle school when we had to choose to be put either in humanitarian or in mathematical class I chose the latter.
25. Which relative was your favorite?
Mum.
26. Who was your third grade teacher?
Another old lady, nobody remarkable. We moved to Moscow to live with my other granny, my mum’s mother and I changed school.
27. Any new(er) siblings?
My younger brother was born.
28. What was your favorite holiday and why?
Birthday, because it was MY day, and the New Year’s Day, because it was the most spectacular of all the holidays. We had school holidays and each year I went to see a number of thematic matinees and performances where a gift consisting of various sweet treats was included into the ticket’s price, it was much fun.
29. Which parent was the most strict?
Dad
30. What was your favorite subject in the fourth grade?
Can’t remember. It could be Nature study.
31. Were you beginning to form your own opinions about the world around you?
Rather not yet, but since about the 2nd grade Mum subscribed me to a few magazines and a newspaper for school age children. I liked them a lot. The newspaper had a discussion column where children would write letters asking for a piece of advice or help. I think it was then when my present basic points of view started to form.
32. Did you enjoy reading for leisure?
Yes, I liked reading a lot. I devoured book after book. Among my favourites were Russian national tales, Oriental and Scandinavian tales, Astrid Lindgren, Setton-Thompson’s stories about animals, Mowgli, Winnie-the-Pooh, Myths of Ancient Greece, Jules Verne’s adventure stories.
33. What did you do for your tenth birthday?
Can’t remember. I think it was like my other birthdays at the dacha with my dacha friends, children I saw and played with only in summers.
34. Who was your fifth grade teacher?
Since starting from the 4th grade we have a new teacher for each subject I had lots of them.
35. Did you get bullied at all?
Very often. Being fat meant to be a laughing stock. Besides that in my class we had a really bad situation with bullying. Boys used to beat girls out of curiosity or for fun. Not all the boys were involved but this really was a terrible habit in middle school until we grew up and boys developed other kind of interest towards girls.
36. What was one of your favorite TV shows?
Any cartoons, any figure skating competitions. There also was a hit show called ‘Visiting a fairy-tale’. It had a very nice host lady who would make a short introduction, read children’s letters, display their drawings and, what was the most interesting part, their handmade dolls and action figures of the tales’ characters - princesses in glittering dresses with beautiful hair and noble princes with swords. And then came the film, some good fairy tale.
37. Did you play any sports?
Some ball games at Physical Training lessons. At about 12 I went in for lawn tennis which I liked immensely.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
38. Were your middle school years slightly awkward?
Erm, no. Should they have been?
39. Did you have to move during these years? If so, where to?
no.
40. Did you begin dressing differently? How so?
Rather not. Those years were pretty hard for my country, we didn’t have much choice in consumer goods and we wore what we were able to find in sale or sew or knit at home. But of course the influence of the era of 80s had an impact on us. I still recall those fashions with warmth in my heart *lol*
41. Who was your favorite middle school teacher?
If ‘middle school’ are grades from 4th to 10th, age from 10 to 16, then my favourite teacher was our new teacher of History in last 3 grades. He was a young man, about 22-23 years old, a university graduate. For us he was of course a full adult, ‘from the other side of the barricade’ *lol* But it was he who was my first love ))) I remember myself sitting with my chin on my hands following his every move with my eyes, turning my head after him. Now I’m pretty sure he knew it, ah… ))) After all it was then when History became understandable, sensible and interesting )
42. Did you win any recreational or academic awards?
I can’t remember of any particular awards, not that there existed any at all, but I always was a smart pupil. Not quite a Hermione type but definitely with good brains and aptitudes.
43. Did your parents try to spend adequate time with you?
I can’t say that we spend much time together as a child and parents, but I never felt any lack of their attention
44. Did you feel like you had friends to turn to if need be?
no. I never had any serious troubles. And it I was hurt I managed it myself. Since I’ve been bullied during all my lifetime at various degrees, I learnt to do without anybody’s assistance. Actually I haven’t had real friends until I was about 25. I had lots of nice people in my life who accepted me, liked me and needed me in some ways, but still I can’t call them real friends.
45. Did you ever get suspended or expelled?
No, but I earned quite a lot (for a girl) of reprimands from teachers. My poor parents *sighs* )
46. Did you experiment with drugs and/or alcohol?
I think I can call it ‘no’. Due to some reasons that I’m not mentioning here I was extremely negative about alcohol as a child. I first drank some when I was almost 18. After that I consumed it sensibly and still do. What’s sad, a couple of years ago I suddenly stopped enjoying being drunk. It isn’t a pleasure for me anymore so now I don’t drink till I can feel that I’ve got drunk. As for drugs I once tried LSD but it didn’t work, which was also sad. And it was after I was 20.
47. Any new(er) siblings?
no.
48. What kind of music were you listening to?
Disco, pop, some soft rock. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Modern Talking, Roxette, Savage, Rick Astley, Bon Jovi, Genesis.
49. What kind of people did you surround yourself with?
Back then I didn’t surround myself with people deliberately. So around there were children from my class, from my musical school, from the summer camp, from dacha. Enough good people, many jackasses and lots of common grey mass.
HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND
50. Which high school did/do you attend?
Age 18-22, State Academy of Management. I studied Travel and Hospitality Industry Management.
51. If you have not yet graduated, which grade are you presently in?
I graduated and it was oh so long ago) In 1999.
52. Have you noticed a change in you ideas/thoughts since beginning high school?
Yes. Despite that I don’t remember many things I was taught in the Academy I’m very grateful to it for it gave me that general understanding of how the world and people are made, primitively speaking. This is the thing that helps a lot in adult life, in work, in all the processes that takes integral or systematic thinking. I particularly appreciate studying such sciences as Philosophy, Theory of Management, all the branches of Management and Systems actually, Economics, Marketing. As for my inner, personal world it has changed in so many ways that I sometimes fear of a person I might be if I hadn’t had what I had in my life. I’m now speaking of the Club for Practical Psychology that I used to attend for about 5 years. It was a club for young people offering various kinds of psychological trainings - communication skills, interpersonal communication, understanding of your inner You, trainings discussing social, family matters, career trainings, artistic trainings (theatre, poetry, voice), physical trainings (yoga, thoughtful moving), sexology and ‘intersexual’ trainings, various Oriental spiritual practices, outdoor activities, camps and more. This is where I am who and what I am.
53. Are/Were your parents supportive of you during those/these rough years?
Yes. But I didn’t even realize that until a few years ago. The last years of school and first years in the Academy were the hardest years in my country’s modern history. I didn’t realize what it took my Mum to keep the house and peace in it. I didn’t realize how hard Dad worked to earn money to pay for the tutors who I attended preparing for my entrance exams. Now I realize how carefree I was back then. I failed the exams the first time I tried to enter and thus skipped a year and parents had to pay for the tutors, who were really expensive, again the next year. Dad never reproached me for that.
54. Who was your best friend upon beginning high school?
I had a best friend, my mum’s co-worker’s daughter. She was OK.
55. Has that changed since?
Yes. After school we pretty quickly gave up communicating and now we are two completely different persons. I don’t regret of that. During our school years we spent much time together but as I’ve already mentioned I didn’t have really close friends then. Time has proven that we weren’t meant for each other.
56. Did you have any boyfriends and/or girlfriends?
No. I had sexual experience but no relationship.
57. Which subject did/do you naturally excel in most?
At school I was good at almost all the subjects except Chemistry. A totally alien science for me. A thing that was easy for me when being a nightmare for most of the other people in my class were essays/compositions for Literature. I simply wrote down my thoughts. For some reason few of my classmates did that. Our Literature teacher was the school’s headmaster, he was a literary man, and quite an honourable and respected at that. He liked my works) Only a few years after I graduated from the Academy my mum accidentally told me that in one of their conversations the headmaster told her that he thought I should have continued writing! I was flattered) I also was good at Economical Geography. The teacher even spared me of doing home assignments for the last term having said ‘You will get your A’s all the same, so let me call out other students’. Well, I agreed and got my final A not having dome anything)
58. Which subject were/are you the most interested in?
Philosophy in the Academy
59. Did you have to change schools at all?
Once. I went to the 3rd grade, age 9, in a new school after we moved to Moscow. It was the school that taught me English. It was so-called specialized school for we had 6-8 lessons of English a week when at normal schools they had 1-3.
60. Are you part of a clique?
Had to look this word up in the dictionary ) No, I’ve never been one. I rather was an outcast. And I can’t understand and can’s stand people who are. This is so stupid and weak, argh.
61. Would you consider yourself to fall under a specific label (goth, prep, etc.)?
Looking back I’d call myself a weird one. A fat girl but not ugly, smart and talented but totally lacking of appropriate behaviour )
62. Did/Do you experiment with drugs and/or alcohol?
Oops! Have already told all about it somewhere above )
63. Did/Do you have an unfair curfew?
No) Quite the contrary. When I started attending that psychology club (see above) the classes would start at about 6 or 7 pm, they lasted for 4 hours, but with the tea break and all the hot discussions they were often delayed for another half an hour or so and actually ended at 11 pm or even later. Plus 45 minutes’ ride home, part of it on the underground, part afoot. One day we were particularly excited after the training and since it was a nice spring night we - me, my female friend and her boyfriend - decided to walk all the way home. The night was magical, the night city alluring. It took us 2,5 hours to walk to my place. It was 1:30 am. Must I add that I didn’t call my parents for there were no mobile phones back then and I just didn’t think of calling at all? Mum and dad weren’t sleeping when I came. But they didn’t say anything bad to me. I was in a very good mood, told them that I had a safe company. They must have thought it good for me to have some social interaction so it was OK) Oh, and now the final trait - that night I was wearing new boots, in the middle of our way I realized that I can’t walk anymore. But the friend’s boyfriend was fooling around, pulled me by the hand. Except for that pain in my feet we were young and joyful and happy and so we decided to continue walking out of sheer stubbornness. When I came home and took off my socks there were bloody wounds on my toes. And in two days I was to go on my first hike with the people from the club *lol*
64. If you have already graduated, would you go back and do it all over?
No. But on another hand…. Hm… All the same way, just like it was back then? No. But some new studying I think I could take.
65. What is your favorite memory of your high school career?
All the moments when I demonstrated my uniqueness, cerebral thinking, clever ideas and was praised for those. I also like the memories of being in love with one of the group-mates. All in all I remember those years as times when I was still young but with some brains already. Still those were quite innocent and wonderful times, aw)))
66. What are your plans thereafter?
I’ve never had any plans. I live my life the way it is. I’ve had a number of essential experiences of vital importance since then which made me more mature, wiser, stronger. I know myself better that ever. I’ve built my little microworld to live in. I feel good)
P.S. for me it's been a good language practice and another cause to see the ways in which our lifestyles were pretty different )